Skipper Ajinkya Rahane said with so many wickets in hand, Rajasthan Royals should have won against the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Eliminator here. Chasing 170 for a place in the Qualifier 2, the Royals on Wednesday were 87/1 after 10 overs. However wickets of Rahane and Sanju Samson left their weak middle order with too much to do, eventually losing by 25 runs as they managed 144/4 in 20 overs.
“We thought 170 was chaseable. We needed partnerships and we got those partnerships initially with (Rahul) Tripathi and then me and Sanju Samson. We needed one batsman to bat throughout those 19-20 overs and we did not do that,” Rahane told reporters at the post-match press conference.
“Unfortunately Sanju got out in the 17th over and that was the reason I felt…when you are chasing 170 in a pressure game you need one batsman from top 4 to bat through the innings,” Rahane added.
“We had the self-belief I felt. Initially, the way we started with the ball. Our fast bowlers, the spinners…getting those 4-5 initial wickets was crucial,” said Rahane.
